Former UNC DE McAdoo eyeing Supplemental?

Posted on: July 25, 2011 1:43 pm

Terrelle Pryor might have to sweat out a ruling by Joel Bussert, the NFL's vice president of player personnel/football operations, to determine if he'll be eligible for any supplemental draft held this summer, but that doesn't mean the draft doesn't have other players likely to be available.

Sources close to former Georgia running back Caleb King have announced that he is planning to formally petition the league for admittance into the special-case draft. NFLDraftScout.com has learned that there might be another player joining the party -- former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo.

If the name strikes a bell, it should.

McAdoo was among the 14 Tar Heel players suspended by the NCAA for, among other things, taking inappropriate benefits from player agents last year. He, along with former teammates Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin, Greg Little (and three others) was suspended for the entire 2010 season. Unlike Quinn, Austin and Little -- who accepted thousands of dollars in gifts and were each drafted into the NFL this past April -- McAdoo was found to have accepted only $110 of inappropriate benefits and had hoped to return to North Carolina. However, because McAdoo was also found guilty of academic fraud as the NCAA's investigation into the program dug deeper, it was determined that he shouldn't be allowed to return to Chapel Hill to athletically compete.

McAdoo is suing UNC and the NCAA to regain his eligibility. On July 13, Durham Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson denied McAdoo's request for a preliminary injunction. The injunction would have allowed McAdoo to return to the field immediately.

According to a detailed report by Andy Staples of SI.com, McAdoo's lawyers are continuing the legal fight to get him back on the field for the Tar Heels, but should a stunning reversal not come from the NCAA, the university's hands are tied, which could push McAdoo into the draft.

At 6-6, 248 pounds, McAdoo has the length and athleticism to pique the interest of 4-3 and 3-4 teams, alike. The primary backup to Quinn, McAdoo had shown flashes throughout of his career. While he hadn't start a game in his first two seasons with the Tar Heels, he was a regular part of the rotation, registering 29 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks over that span. The 21 year-old was viewed by those close to the team as a potential rising star, especially after being named the MVP of UNC's 2010 spring game. In that game McAdoo posted four sacks and an interception.

A league source characterized the supplemental draft as "very much on the back burner with the league right now" so there has been no declaration as to when -- or if -- there will be a a "special case" draft this summer. Should it happen, McAdoo could very well be among the players NFL teams will be considering.